The Fear of Death
Comments on Galatians with an ear to Luther’s commentary
Scripture Text: Galatians 2:20 and Hebrews 9:24-28
Series: Comments on Galatians
It is ordained that each person will die. After death comes judgment. No one escapes their appointment with death and judgment. This is a great fear for religious people. They fear that their bad deeds will outweigh their good deeds and as a result, that their judgment will go poorly. These fearful souls live in the law. But we care not for such legalities and the balancing of the scales. Indeed! We know that we cannot balance the scales, no matter the quantity of our deeds. We know that our Lord Christ has balanced the scales of judgment on our behalf. We have died with Christ in his death on the cross and our sin has died with him. Even as he was raised, we too will be resurrected in righteousness because of his deed on our behalf. It is no longer about deeds and scales but about Christ and his faithfulness and his justice in forgiving sinners (1 John 1:9-10). So, when death and judgment come for us, we will have an advocate before the Judge of Heaven. We have nothing to fear.
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Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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